Child Not My Own
by therunawaypen
Summary: James and Q never had children of their own, but that didn't stop the girl from next store worming her way into their hearts
1. Chapter 1

The topic of children had come up on more than just one occasion. Both James and Q wanted a family, but they also both knew that their high risk jobs just wouldn't allow for it. Not that either of them would want to put an innocent child at risk by giving them the last name Bond.

But still, having a child to love did sound wonderful at times…

So when Q first met Oliva, sniffling outside her apartment door, his heart went out to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, pausing outside his own apartment right next door. He was tired from working 30 hours straight, but he still couldn't help but reach out to the child.

"I forgot my key…" She sniffed, wiping her eyes furiously, "I can't get in until my parents get home tonight.."

Q sighed, looking at his own door. Well, there wasn't anything classified inside, "Why don't you come inside and wait for your parents to come home?"

She looked hesitant.

"I'll keep the front door open." Q reassured her, "Besides, I'm most likely going to sleep the entire time anyway." He smiled softly, opening the door.

After a moment, she made her way to him, "What's your name?"

Q told her, but quickly added, "—but most people call me Q. Even my husband." He walked into his apartment with the small girl on his heels, "What's your name?"

"Olivia." She nodded slowly, looking around the apartment.

Despite what he said, Q didn't sleep at all while Olivia was with him. Instead, he spent the entire time talking to her about her family, friends, her classes at school, and even helping her with her homework. By the time her parents did arrive home, she was reluctant to leave.

Q was reluctant to let her go.

Olivia began to "forget" her key quite often, knocking on Q and James's door with increasing frequency. James was startled to see the child the first time he opened the door and saw her, but he quickly warmed up to her. And if Q saw James watching Disney movies with her in their living room, he didn't mention it.

Soon enough, James and Q began to expect Olivia whenever they were home. The child seemed to have a sense of when they were actually home or not.

The weeks became months, which then began to roll into years of the same patterns. Soon, Q and James couldn't describe Olivia as a child: she was growing too fast. But that didn't stop her from loving her.

Q never hesitated to help her with her homework, no matter how tired he was from work. He pushed her to keep her grades up, that she was capable of doing it.

Even when James came back from a mission battered and wounded, he never hesitated to play games or watch movies with her. He was the one who taught her the basics of self defense.

It was Q who made an awkward run to the store when Olivia admitted that she was bleeding during one of her visits.

It was James who helped her get ready for her first school dance.

It was Q who she confided in about her first crush.

It was James who sat her down one day and explained to her that she was _beautiful_, and that no boy or man had the right to treat her with anything but respect.

Before either of them knew it, they had poured their hearts into this little girl turned young woman, and they had fallen completely in loved with a child not their own.

When she came screaming into their apartment, waving an acceptance letter from her favorite university, they celebrated by taking her to her favorite restaurant.

When she showed up at her door, heartbroken because her long time boyfriend had dumped her for another girl, they had spend the entire night watching movies with her while eating entire pints of ice cream.

When the notice for her graduation arrived in the mail, Q almost cried.

When the notice for her University graduation arrived in the mail, Q did cry.

When the invitation to her wedding arrived in the mail, James cried.

Olivia had insisted that they be seated with the rest of her family for the ceremony. Neither Q or James could keep a dry eye as they watched their little girl walk into another man's arms and take his name.

She surprised them both at the reception when, after her first dance with her husband, she dragged them both out to the dance floor, taking turns dancing with them both.

"How could I possibly miss dancing with the men who raised me?" She told them.


	2. Chapter 2

The kid was going to break Q's heart, James was sure of it.

James knew that Q wished they could have a family of their own, hell, _James_ wished for the same damn thing at times. But letting this little girl walk into their lives and walk all over Q's heart was only going to end in tears.

So when James woke in the middle of the night (in an empty bed no less, Q was working) to the sound of the doorbell ringing, he was not in a good mood. He was grumbling all the way to the door when he opened it.

He was _sure_ it was two in the morning, not two in the afternoon; so there was no reason for a little girl in braided pigtails to be standing on his welcome mat.

She looked just as surprised to see him as he was to see her, "Um, hello Mr. Bond…" She was gripping one of her braids tightly, trying to look anywhere but at James, "Is Mr. Q home?"

"Q's working." James replied, well, _grunted_. He was still half asleep, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

So James wasn't a genius when it came to kids. He knew exactly how to handle women…just not the tiny ones.

"I…I had a nightmare." She admitted, looking at her feet.

James blinked, watching her. Then his mind caught up with the situation, "Where the hell are your parents?"

Alright, so maybe not all the way caught up. And perhaps he wasn't at his most eloquent, but this _was_ the child who was going to break his husband's heart.

"They got called in to work." Olivia nodded, looking up at him

James opened his mouth to demand what kind of job her parents had to leave their child in the middle of the night, then promptly shut his mouth. _He _certainly had no right to judge based on his own employment.

Then he saw the look in Olivia's eyes. Big green eyes framed by dark lashes, but were red and puffy, not to mention shining from a thin sheen of unshed tears.

_God dammnit…_ James let out a long sigh, "Why don't you come in for a bit? At least until you've calmed down enough to go back to sleep?"

It was all the invitation Olivia needed to bolt into apartment, making a beeline for Q's spot on the couch, curling up with one of the throw pillows.

"Um, do you want anything to drink?" James rubbed sleep from his eyes as he shut the door to the apartment. He could really go for a strong drink in that moment, but he wasn't about to offer cognac to a child. He wasn't _that_ inept, "Do you drink tea?"

The child looked at him from the couch, "Do you have any cocoa?"

_Cocoa…_Why couldn't she have just asked for a cup of Earl Grey? He _knew_ they had that, Q basically had the stuff on a drip. But where the hell was he supposed to get cocoa? "Let me check…" He grumbled, heading into the kitchen.

Q's tablet was on the counter, so James made a quick search on Google for cocoa. There were several recipes listed. Seems simple enough_, _he mused, grabbing cocoa powder, sugar, and milk from the kitchen, it wasn't a hard recipe at all.

Not even ten minutes later, he had two mugs of cocoa ready for consumption (because hey, if he had to make it, he sure as hell was going to try some).

"Here you go, kid." James handed a mug to Olivia as he sat on the other side of the couch, "Careful, it's hot."

"My name is Olivia, Mr. Bond." She nodded, taking a sip of her cocoa, "Mmm, this is way better than anything Mommy makes."

James made a noncommittal noise in his throat, drinking his cocoa. Reluctantly, he had to agree that the stuff wasn't half bad, even if there was no cognac.

They sat in silence while they drank their cocoa. James knew from experience that talking about nightmares didn't always make it better, and _he _sure as hell wasn't going to pry into a child's mind.

"Thanks."

Turning to look at Olivia, James blinked, "For what?"

"For not making me talk about the monsters." Olivia gripped her mug tightly, "Mommy always asks me about it, and then I have to remember them all over again."

James was _not_ qualified to pass judgment on a woman he had never met, or her parenting skills, "Sometimes people want to help, even when they don't know how." He mumbled, "Sometimes they can make it worse."

It was then he realized the child was staring at him now. The look in her eyes was unfamiliar, James didn't know what it was or how to deal with it. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat, "Why don't I put on a movie? Would that help you calm down?"

At Olivia's nod, James got up and looked at his and Q's collection of movies. And seeing the complete and utter lack of children friendly movies (the last thing she would need to watch was _Kill Bill_), James knew he would have to improvise. What did kids like? James remembered he liked his fairytales as a child. Quickly he looked over the collection for anything resembling that…

"Hey Ki—er, Olivia?" James cleared his throat, "You know the story of Cinderella, right?"

"Of course I do." Her small voice answered him, "Why wouldn't I?"

James rolled his eyes, glad his back was to her, "Well I have Cinderella here, but there all no words, it's all told through dance."

"I like dance…" She admitted, "Sounds like fun!"

James nodded, putting the DVD in and walking to the couch. How the hell did he get himself into these situations: sitting with a child in the middle of the night, watching the Russian Ballet's rendition of _Cinderella_? This wasn't his thing…

If said child had climbed into his lap before the intermission, he didn't say anything.

Q was tired from his shift at MI6, he was looking forward to curling up in bed (hopefully in his husband's arms).

So when he came into the apartment, and saw the back of James's head, leaned back over their couch in an awkward position, he was alarmed. Immediately, his mind filled with scenarios of assassins that had caught James off guard and left his body for him to find, and he _desperately_ wished he had a firearm with him.

Then he heard the deep rumble of James's snoring, and his heart fell into his usual pattern. So James had fallen asleep on the couch…not a usual habit for him. And with the television on, no less. Curiosity piqued, Q approached his husband. As he rounded the end of the couch, he could see the two empty mugs on the coffee table.

More importantly, he could see Olivia curled up in James's lap, with the 00 agent's arms wrapped tightly around her.

Q smiled softly, sitting beside them on the couch as he watched them both.

The movement triggered James to wake, opening his eyes before he moved a muscle. Seeing Q beside him, he relaxed. Their eyes met for a moment before they both looked at Olivia. She looked so small and fragile in James's arms. But then again, she probably _was_small and fragile in James's arms.

Q knew that James would never admit it out loud, but he knew the look James got when someone had managed to worm their way into his heart.

After all, it wasn't every day 007 fell in love: man, woman, or child.


	3. Chapter 3

"Honey, did you finish your homework?"

"Yes Mum. Mr. Q helped me with it."

It had been the third time Olivia had mentioned a Mr. Q, and frankly, Mrs. Chase was worried her little girl might be relapsing into the imaginary friend stage.

It was hard raising a child when both she and her husband were both on call 24/7, but Olivia was old enough to mind herself…at least, that's what she convinced herself. She felt guilty for the long hours she and her husband worked, but what else could they do? They needed the money. Now, she only hoped she wasn't damaging her daughter.

"I see…" She smoothed Olivia's braids, "Do you talk to Mr. Q often?"

Olivia nodded, blonde braids swinging, "I try and visit every time he's home from work."

Mrs. Chase looked at her husband as Olivia went off to her room to play, "Has Olivia told you about this Mr. Q?"

Her husband looked up from the numerous files he was working on the kitchen table, "You mean our next do neighbor? Yeah." He nodded, "Olivia locked herself out once, and she stayed with him until I got home from work."

So he wasn't imaginary. There was a small relief there. But her baby girl was still spending a lot of time with someone she didn't know, "So…what do you think of him?"

"Q?" Mr. Chase raised an eyebrow, taking a long drink of coffee, "He's a brilliant sort of lad, probably works in engineering or something like that. His husband seems on the up and up as well."

"Husband?" Mrs. Chase blinked. That was…unexpected.

Mr. Chase shrugged, "Kids these days. Granted, James, Q's husband, isn't much of a kid, closer to our age actually. They look like an unlikely couple, but apparently they've been together for a few years now"

Mrs. Chase nodded, sitting by her husband. There was certainly nothing _wrong_ with the husbands, she just wish she had _met_ them before her daughter had become obsessed with them. "So you don't mind Olivia spending so much time with them?"

"Julie, we can work 20 hour days sometimes." Her husband sighed, "I would much rather Olivia stay with the neighbors than in the apartment all alone." He took her hand, "Besides, they adore her."

"Really?" Julie raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah." Mr. Chase removed his glasses, "I remember once I came home after graveyard shift, and Olivia wasn't home. I was about to panic and call the police when Q knocked on our door. He took me over to their place, where Olivia was fast asleep on their couch. James explained that he had been home that night and that Olivia had knocked on their door because of a nightmare. James stayed up with her, made her cocoa, and even watched movies with her until she fell asleep."

Julie looked down at her hands. Part of her felt guilty for leaving her baby all alone when she still suffered from nightmares, she was still a child. Another part of her was grateful that there was _someone_ for Olivia to run to.

She sighed, "I suppose one of these days, I'll have to meet them and thank them…for everything."

"Mhm…" Mr. Chase was already focusing on his files. Julie rolled her eyes, going back to Olivia's room.

Olivia, oblivious to the conversation, was playing contently with her dolls. When she saw her mother watching her, she smiled, "Hey Mum! Wanna play?"

Julie smiled softly, sitting by her daughter, "Sure thing, darling." She kissed her temple, "While we play, why don't you tell me a bit more about Mr. Q and Mr. James?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I need your help!"

James quickly hid his gun under his bed as the front door to the apartment opened and shut. He really needed to stop bringing his work home with him, _especially_ when Olivia had stopped knocking on their door and opted to simply come in (he suspected Q might have made a key for her as well, but couldn't prove it).

Before Olivia could wander towards the bedroom, James walked out to greet her, "And good afternoon to you Olivia. What did you need help with?"

The moment he saw Olivia, her blond hair done up in curlers, and a long garment bag in her arms, James knew he was in trouble.

"…are you going to a wedding?" He tried.

Olivia rolled her eyes, "I have a dance tonight, and Nathan is picking me up at seven tonight!"

James blinked, the gears in his mind catching up with the conversation, "Who?"

"_Nathan, _my _date._" Olivia sounded exasperated, "Keep up James!"

"You aren't old enough to date yet!" James blurted, staring at Olivia. This was the little girl who watched the Russian ballet with him when she had nightmares, she wasn't ready to _date_ yet.

Olivia put her hands on her hips, "James, I'm sixteen! Or did you not notice the fact I have breasts now?" To prove her point, she reached up and cupped her chest.

James, the unshakeable 00 agent, blushed furiously, "We are _not_ talking about that!" He shook his head, "So what do you need help with?"

The teen rolled her eyes, "I have a big date in a few hours, and I need my gay uncles to make me look fabulous!"

James could almost feel his eye twitch, "Olivia, just because Q and I are gay doesn't mean we're any good at this…"

"Oh shut up, you know you're going to help me, James, so stop arguing." Olivia laid her dress on the kitchen table, "Now come on!"

It was a futile fight, and they both knew it. Before James had realized what had happened, he was trying to pin Olivia's curled hair into a fancy up do. If the other 00 agents could see him now…they'd never let him live it down.

"Ouch!"

"I didn't even hurt you!"

"Watch where you're aiming that bobby pin!"

"Stop squirming!"

When James had _finally _managed to get Olivia's hair to match the picture she brought, he made sure to douse it with plenty of hair spray. That hair was going _nowhere_…he just hoped Olivia wouldn't be by any open flames anytime soon.

"So where's Q?" Olivia asked as she laid out her make up on the table, getting a mirror from the bathroom.

"He's in the bedroom." James chuckled, "Sleeping off a 40 hour shift."

Olivia stared at him, "Damn he must be tired…he didn't even wake up after all the screaming we did."

That made James snort, "Yeah, well keep it up and you might just wake the beast."

"I heard that."

Both James and Olivia turned to look at Q, who was leaning against the doorframe and sporting some impressive bed head, "What's going on here?" He asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Olivia smiled, "Nathan's taking me to the dance tonight!"

Q's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, "That's _tonight?_ He asked you?" He ran across the room, hugging Olivia tightly, "Why didn't you wake me sooner? We have work to do!"

"Wait, you knew about this?" James frowned, looking from Olivia to Q.

Q chuckled, "Only that Olivia has had the biggest crush on this Nathan boy since the beginning of the school year! This is so exciting!" He smiled, "Let's see your dress!"

Olivia giggled, unzipping the garment bag so James and Q could get a good look at her dress for the evening.

Unfortunately, James's frown only worsened, "Part of the dress is missing."

"Um…no it's not." Olivia chuckled.

"There's no back to the dress." James deadpanned, looking at the dress in question.

The teen smiled, "Well it _is_ a backless dress."

"You're not leaving the house in that."

Q rolled his eyes, "Yes, she is James." He smiled to Olivia, "Go and change, sweetie."

Olivia smiled, taking the dress into the bathroom so she could change. After the door had shut, Q looked at James, "Well look who's turning into a papa bear." He teased, "'_You're not leaving the house in that.'" _He added, imitating James's voice.

James sighed, "She can't be going on dates already, can she?" He rubbed his temples.

"Hard to believe, huh?" Q smiled softly, "Just yesterday, you were making her hot chocolate and watching Cinderella with her."

"That _was _yesterday." James defended, then groaned, "Why is this so hard?"

"Probably because we watched her grow up and love her just as much as if she were our own." Q nodded, sitting in James's lap, "But don't worry, she'll always be our little girl."

James rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around Q's waist, "Technically, she isn't ours to begin with, Q." he kissed the back of his husband's neck, "But I get what you mean."

Q smiled softly, relaxing into James's arms, "She's still more of a family than either of us ever imagined we could ever have…"

The two sat in silence, contemplating the years in which they watched Olivia grow from the curious and lonely child to a strong and outspoken young woman she was today.

"Am I interrupting you two?"

The two MI6 employees turned their attention to the doorway, where Olivia was watching them. The gown, James reluctantly admitted to himself, was lovely on her. The shade of green complimented her complexion and the cut was flattering (and, to his relief, none too scandalous).

"Well?" She smiled, spinning slowly to show off her attire. James could hear the quick clicking of her heels on the kitchen tiles and wondered when she had started wearing them. When he saw the back (or lack thereof) of the dress, he had to admit that it wasn't as bad as he had feared.

It didn't mean he had to like it though.

"You look beautiful, Olivia." Q smiled, giving her a tight hug, "Nathan won't know what hit him."

"And," James added, "if he tries something funny, you know _exactly_ where to hit him."

Hey, just because Olivia was going on a date, didn't mean James couldn't impart some _real_ wisdom. For her benefit of course.


End file.
